System and method to generate an electronic wage statement file

ABSTRACT

According to some embodiments, an indication of a pay period frequency may be received from an insured along with an indication of an initial pay period begin date. A series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may then be automatically populated based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date. Wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may be received from the insured, and an electronic wage statement file may be generated based on the received wage values.

BACKGROUND

In some cases, an insured may be entitled to receive insurance benefits based at least in part on past wages that he or she has earned. For example, an injured worker might receive workers' compensation payments from an insurance company based on his or her average weekly wages over the prior year. To submit information about past wages to an insurance company, an insured might provide copies of old paychecks, screenshots taken from a payroll accounting system, and/or information manually entered by hand on an insurance form. A claim handler associated with the insurance company might then review the wage information and determine an appropriate benefit amount. Such a determination, however, can be difficult to perform in an accurate and consistent manner. For example, extended periods away from work, bonuses, and overtime pay may need to be accounted for by the claim handler. Moreover, the appropriate way to handle these situations can vary depending on the jurisdiction in which an injury occurred (e.g., different states might have different workers' compensation laws and regulations).

Note that penalties may be applied to an insurance company that fails to determine benefits in an accurate and consistent manner. For example, a state auditor might assess penalties, including interest penalties, when an insurance company fails to determine and/or document workers' compensation cases in an appropriate manner. Moreover, note that problems might arise from inconsistent and/or inaccurate wage statement data provided by an insured, inconsistent and/or inaccurate benefit calculations by a claim handler, or insufficient documentation about the benefit calculations in a claim file.

It would therefore be desirable to provide systems and methods to facilitate a generation of wage statement files in an automated, efficient, and accurate manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to some embodiments, systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code and means may provide ways to facilitate generation of an electronic wage statement file. Initially, an indication of a pay period frequency may be received from an insured along with an indication of an initial pay period begin date. According to some embodiments, a series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may then be automatically populated based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date. Wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may be received from the insured, and the electronic wage statement file may be generated based on the received wage values.

Some embodiments provide an input device to receive wage statement information from an insured. A computer processor may execute program instructions and a memory, coupled to the computer processor, may store program instructions for execution by the computer processor. Execution of the instructions may result in, for example: receiving from a party associated with the insured an indication of a pay period frequency; receiving from the party associated with the insured an indication of an initial pay period begin date; automatically populating a series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date; receiving from the party associated with the insured wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields; automatically computing a gross wages amount for each of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the wage values; and generating the electronic wage statement file based on the received wage values..

A technical effect of some embodiments of the invention is an improved and computerized method of generating an electronic wage statement file. With these and other advantages and features that will become hereinafter apparent, a more complete understanding of the nature of the invention can be obtained by referring to the following detailed description and to the drawings appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is block diagram of an insurance computing system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is block diagram of a system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a wage statement according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a wage statement incorporating error checking according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a wage statement incorporating supplemental information according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a wage statement that may be accessed by a claim handler according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a wage statement that may be used to generate a file note according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is block diagram of a wage statement platform according to some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a tabular portion of a wage statement database according to some embodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates a display in accordance with some embodiments described herein.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is block diagram of an insurance computing system 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In particular, an insured associated with an insured computing device 110 (e.g., a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, etc.) may be entitled to receive insurance benefits based at least in part on past wages that he or she has earned. For example, an injured worker might receive workers' compensation payments from an insurance company based on his or her average weekly wages over the prior year. To submit information about past wages to an insurance company, the insured computing device 110 might be used to provide copies of old paychecks, screenshots taken from a payroll accounting system, and/or information manually entered by hand on an insurance form. A claim handler computing device 120 associated with the insurance company might then be used to review the wage information, determine an appropriate benefit amount, and document his or her determination in a claim file 130 stored at a remote storage device 132 (e.g., via an intermediate insurance processing platform 122). Such a determination, however, can be difficult to perform in an accurate and consistent manner. For example, extended periods away from work, bonuses, and overtime pay may need to be accounted for by the claim handler. Moreover, the appropriate way to handle these situations can vary depending on the jurisdiction in which an injury occurred

It would therefore be desirable to provide systems and methods to facilitate the workflow in an automated, efficient, and accurate manner. FIG. 2 is block diagram of a system 200 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In particular, the system 200 includes a wage statement platform 250 that receives wage values (e.g., from an insured). The wage statement platform 250 might be, for example, associated with a Personal Computers (PC), laptop computer, an enterprise server, a web server farm, and/or a database or similar storage devices. The wage statement platform 250 may, according to some embodiments, be associated with an insured, a business organization, or an insurance provider.

According to some embodiments, an “automated” wage statement platform 250 may facilitate generation of an electronic wage statement file. As used herein, the term “automated” may refer to, for example, actions that can be performed with little or no human intervention. The wage statement platform may, for example, help insureds submit appropriate wages, assist claim handlers to adjust submitted wages as warranted, and/or facilitate an automatic generation and/or posting of consistent and accurate file notes.

As used herein, devices, including those associated with the wage statement platform 250 and any other device described herein, may exchange information via any communication network which may be one or more of a Local Area Network (LAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a proprietary network, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) network, a Bluetooth network, a wireless LAN network, and/or an Internet Protocol (IP) network such as the Internet, an intranet, or an extranet. Note that any devices described herein may communicate via one or more such communication networks.

The wage statement platform 250 may also access pre-determined error checks and supplemental logic 240. The pre-determined error checks and supplemental logic 240 might be associated with, for example, state laws and regulations. The pre-determined error checks and supplemental logic 240 may be locally stored or reside remote from the wage statement platform 250. As will be described further below, the pre-determined error checks and supplemental logic 240 may be used by the wage statement platform 250 along with the wage values to generate an accurate electronic wage statement file. According to some embodiments, the wage statement platform 250 communicates with an external system 260, such as by transmitting electronic wage statement information to an insurance provider platform, an email server, a workflow management system, etc.

Although a single wage statement platform 250 is shown in FIG. 2, any number of such devices may be included. Moreover, various devices described herein might be combined according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, in some embodiments, the wage statement platform 250 and pre-determined error checks and supplemental logic 240 might be co-located and/or may comprise a single apparatus.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method that might be performed, for example, by some or all of the elements of the system 200 described with respect to FIG. 2 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The flow charts described herein do not imply a fixed order to the steps, and embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in any order that is practicable. Note that any of the methods described herein may be performed by hardware, software, or any combination of these approaches. For example, a computer-readable storage medium may store thereon instructions that when executed by a machine result in performance according to any of the embodiments described herein.

At S310, wage statement information may be received from an insured. For example, the insured might enter information into a spreadsheet application. According to some embodiments, the wage statement information may include an indication of a pay period frequency, such as an indication that the insured was paid on a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly basis. According to some embodiments, the wage statement information and/or other information described herein may be received from another party associated with the insured (e.g., a family member or intermediate claim service). Other examples of wage statement information that might be received from the insured include: (i) an employee name, (ii) a claim number, (iii) a date of loss (e.g., associated with when an accident occurred or when a claim was submitted)), (iv) a date of hire, (v) period of employment information, and/or (vi) date of completion information (e.g., indicating when the insured provided the wage statement information).

At S320, an indication of an initial pay period begin date may be received from the insured. For example, the insured might indicate that he or she began working for a company on Jul. 15, 2015. At S330, a series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may be automatically populated based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date. For example, cells in a spreadsheet application might be automatically populated with dates reflecting 52 weeks of bi-weekly pay periods.

At S340, wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may be received from the insured. For example, the insured might enter into spreadsheet cells some or all of the following information for each pay period: (i) a number of regular hours worked, (ii) a number of overtime hours worked, (iii) an hourly rate, and (iv) other wages.

At S350, an electronic wage statement file may be generated based on the received wage values. For example, a spreadsheet application might automatically compute a gross wages amount for each of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the wage values. Moreover, an average weekly wage amount might be automatically computed and documented for the electronic wage statement file. The average weekly wage amount can then be used to determine an appropriate benefit amount for the insured.

According to some embodiments, an insured might use a graphical user interface to provide wage information. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates a wage statement 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The wage statement 400 includes a pay period frequency selection 402 that can be used by an insured to indicate if he or she was paid on a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly basis. Moreover, the statement 400 includes pay period data 404. Although only four pay periods 404 are illustrated in FIG. 4 note that a statement 400 may include any number of pay periods 404 (e.g., to account for a complete year of wage history). According to some embodiments, the insured enters a date into an initial pay period begin date 406 and the remaining cells of pay period data 404 are automatically populated based on that date and the pay period frequency 402 selected by the insured. The statement further includes wage values 408 that can be entered by the insured, such as a number of regular hours worked, overtime hours, double time hours, an hourly rate, and/or other wages (e.g., tips, bonuses, per diem payments, etc.).

Note that the pay period data 404 might be displayed in ascending order (with the initial pay period at the top of the list) or descending order (with the most recent pay period at the top of the list). Moreover, according to some embodiments, the insured may select a pay period frequency of “manual entry.” In this case, the insured may define various begin dates and end dates for the pay period data 404. In this case, the system might automatically create a pay period to span any gap in the manually entered pay period data 404 along with a text-entry area that can be used to explain why no wage information is being submitted for that period.

According to some embodiments, an insured may manually define in a non-concurrent fashion. For example, a first pay period defined as Jan. 1, 2015-Jan. 15, 2015 might be followed by a second pay period defined as Jan. 25, 2015-Feb. 14, 2015 (note that there is a 9 day gap). In this case, an artificial pay period from Jan. 16, 2015-Jan. 24, 2015 might be automatically generated, the artificial pay period might be automatically excluded from an average weekly wages calculation, and a reason why the period was excluded might be automatically added to a file note. Thus, these types of gaps and/or errors may be taken into account when processing the overall benefit calculation, and an appropriate file note may be generated in a consistent fashion.

The wage statement 400 may use the wage values 408 for each pay period 404 to automatically calculate a gross earnings amount 410. For example, if a worker was paid $10.00 per hour, worked 40 regular hours and 2 overtime hours (for which he or she was paid time and a half), then the gross earnings 410 for that time period would be $430.00. The wage statement 400 may further include an average weekly wage 412 that is automatically calculated based on the insured's gross earnings 410 for each of the pay periods 404.

Thus, the wage statement 400 may facilitate administration of an insured and limit the likelihood of human error (e.g., a person incorrectly determining dates for bi-weekly pay periods or gross earning amounts). According to some embodiments, fields that require attention by the insured may be highlighted (e.g., displayed with a yellow background). Although pay periods 404 might be automatically populated with weekly or bi-weekly frequencies, according to some embodiments an insured might select to manually enter this information (e.g., in an ascending or descending order).

According to some embodiments, a wage statement platform may review wage information provided by an insured to detect inaccuracies or potential errors before the information is submitted to a claim handler. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates a wage statement 500 incorporating error checking according to some embodiments of the present invention. In particular, this wage statement 500 may be used to enter additional information 502, including an employee name, a claim number, a date of loss, and a date of hire. Note that additional information 502 may be used to adjust calculations performed in connection with, for example, an average weekly wage for the wage statement 500. Moreover, the additional information 502 and/or other data may be used to automatically perform an error check on the wage statement information received from the insured in accordance with a pre-determined error checking rule. For example, when non-numeric data is entered into certain cells of the wage statement 500, an alert or warning 506 may be displayed to the insured. The insured may then review the entered values and correct as appropriate.

According to some embodiments, a wage statement may dynamically adjust the information being displayed and/or entered by an insured. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates a wage statement 600 incorporating supplemental information 602 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The supplemental information 602 might include tips, hints, or questions that are dynamically determined and displayed based on wage statement information received from the insured. According to some embodiments, the supplemental information 602 includes logic-based selections wherein the context of the wage statement 600 entries can change what is shown to the insured. Moreover, different questions, helpful tips, and/or data entries fields may be displayed as appropriate (e.g., an insured who indicates that he or she was a seasonal employee might be asked to provide a start date and finish date for his or her wage statement 600). In this way, the wage statement 400 may constantly adjust and/or instruct an insured based on the input data and hide unneeded fields and/or questions as appropriate.

Thus, some embodiments described herein may facilitate an accurate and consistent entry of wage data by an insured. According to some embodiments, a wage statement may further be used by a claim handler to facilitate an accurate and consistent determination of benefits. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a wage statement 700 that may be accessed by a claim handler according to some embodiments of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the wage statement 700 includes a password entry area 702 that can be used by a claim handler to provide his or her user name or other appropriate identifier. When the password is validated by the wage statement 700, additional information and/or data entry options may be provided. For example, indications of exclusion 704 for a sub-set of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may be provided by a claim handler (e.g., as illustrate in FIG. 7, the claim handler might indicate with a “Y” that wages from Aug. 12, 2015 through Aug. 25, 2015 should be excluded from benefit calculations). Based on the indications of exclusion 704, the wage statement 700 may automatically re-calculate an appropriate average weekly wage 712 for the insured. This additional layer of functionality may be built into a wage statement tool to allow a claim handler to make adjustments if warranted. After the tool is unlocked by entering a password, it may identify and alert the claim handler about various potential concerns, such as pay periods having start dates prior to date of hire, gross earnings being equal to zero, and/or pay periods having end dates after a date of loss. According to some embodiments, error checks may be performed for the claim handler. For example, when an initial pay period begin date is prior to an insured's date of hire, an alert or warning 706 may be displayed to the claim handler. The claim handler may then review the entered values and correct as appropriate.

According to some embodiments, computation of the average weekly wage 712 is performed in accordance with a workers' compensation rule engine. For example, the electronic wage statement 700 may be associated with one of a plurality of potential jurisdictions, and the workers' compensation rule engine may compute the average weekly wage 712 based on at least one of a minimum value and a maximum value applicable to that jurisdiction. For example, the wage statement 700 might have an identifier indicating that the injury is associated with California laws and regulations. In this case, a minimum average weekly wage value might automatically override some information in the wage statement. Similarly, according to some embodiments, a wage increase is automatically and retroactively applied to prior pay periods. For example, in the illustration of FIG. 7, the increase from $10.00 per hour to $11.00 per hour might be automatically applied to pay periods prior to Aug. 26, 2015 (again, perhaps depending on the jurisdiction associated with the wage statement).

In this way, the wage statement 700 may help a claim handler determine an appropriate benefit amount for an insured. According to some embodiments, a wage statement platform may also help ensure that such determinations are appropriately documented. For example, FIG. 8 illustrates a wage statement 800 that may be used to generate a detailed file note 802 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In particular, the file note 802 may be automatically generated based on wage information submitted by the insured as well as any adjustments made by the claim handler. The file note 802 may clearly document which periods/weeks were used, days within a period, and/or provide a detailed explanation of periods/adjustments. The file note 802 may also include a mathematical breakdown of benefit calculations, taking into account statutory minimum and/or maximum rates, and provide a detailed explanation of all calculations, overrides, and/or adjustments. The file note 802 may, according to some embodiments, conclude with a proposed benefit rate and prompt a claim handler to send the calculations to a team leader for validation. According to some embodiments, the file note 802 may be linked to, saved within, and/or be cut-and-paste into a claim file.

The embodiments described herein may be implemented using any number of different hardware configurations. For example, FIG. 9 illustrates a wage statement platform 900 that may be, for example, associated with the system 200 of FIG. 2. The wage statement platform 900 comprises a processor 910, such as one or more commercially available Central Processing Units (CPUs) in the form of one-chip microprocessors, coupled to a communication device 920 configured to communicate via a communication network (not shown in FIG. 9). The communication device 920 may be used to communicate, for example, with one or more remote devices. The wage statement platform 900 further includes an input device 940 (e.g., a mouse and/or keyboard to enter wage information or adjustments) and an output device 950 (e.g., a computer monitor to display a wage statement and/or file note).

The processor 910 also communicates with a storage device 930. The storage device 930 may comprise any appropriate information storage device, including combinations of magnetic storage devices (e.g., a hard disk drive), optical storage devices, mobile telephones, and/or semiconductor memory devices. The storage device 930 stores a program 912 and/or a wage statement application 914 (e.g., associated with a spreadsheet application and/or plug-in) for controlling the processor 910. The processor 910 performs instructions of the programs 912, 914, and thereby operates in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein. For example, the processor 910 may receive an indication of a pay period frequency from an insured along with an indication of an initial pay period begin date. A series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may then be automatically populated by the processor 910 based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date. Wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields may be received from the insured, and an electronic wage statement file may be generated by the processor based on the received wage values.

The programs 912, 914 may be stored in a compressed, uncompiled and/or encrypted format. The programs 912, 914 may furthermore include other program elements, such as an operating system, a database management system, and/or device drivers used by the processor 910 to interface with peripheral devices.

As used herein, information may be “received” by or “transmitted” to, for example: (i) the wage statement platform 900 from another device; or (ii) a software application or module within the wage statement platform 900 from another software application, module, or any other source.

In some embodiments (such as shown in FIG. 9), the storage device 930 stores an error check database 960 (e.g., with rules to help detect potentially inaccurate information), a supplemental logic database 970 (e.g., incorporating context-based rules to provide hints or supplemental questions for an insured), and an electronic wage statement database 1000. An example of a database that may be used in connection with the wage statement platform 900 will now be described in detail with respect to FIG. 10. Note that the database described herein is only one example, and additional and/or different information may be stored therein. Moreover, various databases might be split or combined in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein.

Referring to FIG. 10, a table is shown that represents the electronic wage statement database 1000 that may be stored at the wage statement platform 900 according to some embodiments. The table may include, for example, entries identifying pay periods for which an insured is providing wage information. The table may also define fields 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010 for each of the entries. The fields 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010, may, according to some embodiments, specify: a wage statement identifier 1002, a pay period 1004, an exclude indication 1006, wage values 1008, and gross wages 101. The information in the electronic wage statement database 1000 may be created and updated, for example, based on information received from an insured or claim handler.

The wage statement identifier 1002 may be, for example, a unique alphanumeric code identifying a particular wage statement being submitted by an insured in connection with an insurance claim. The pay period 1004 might be automatically populated by a wage statement platform based on a pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date provided by an insured. The indication of exclusion 1006 might indicate, for example, whether a claim handler has decided that a particular pay period should (or should not) be included in a benefit calculation. The wage values 1008 may be provided by the insured and include, for example, numbers of hours worked and an hourly rate of pay. The gross wages 1010 might be automatically calculated by the wage statement platform and may be used, for example, to determine an appropriate average weekly wage for the insured.

Thus, some embodiments may provide improved benefit calculations and reduce financial inaccuracies (and associated penalties, including accrued interest). In addition, the electronic wage statement files may be transparent and limits areas of confusion for auditors.

The following illustrates various additional embodiments of the invention. These do not constitute a definition of all possible embodiments, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is applicable to many other embodiments. Further, although the following embodiments are briefly described for clarity, those skilled in the art will understand how to make any changes, if necessary, to the above-described apparatus and methods to accommodate these and other embodiments and applications.

Although specific hardware and data configurations have been described herein, note that any number of other configurations may be provided in accordance with embodiments of the present invention (e.g., some of the information associated with the databases described herein may be combined or stored in external systems).

Moreover, some embodiments have been described herein as being accessed via a PC or laptop computer. Note, however, that embodiments may be implemented using any device capable of executing the disclosed functions and steps. For example, FIG. 11 illustrates a display 1100 in accordance with some embodiments described herein. In particular, the display 1100 includes a graphical user interface including information about an electronic wage statement file displayed via a tablet computer or smartphone in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein.

Further, some embodiments have been described herein as being used to facilitate workers' compensation benefits. Note, however, that the techniques described herein might be used in connection with other types of benefits. For example, average weekly wage rates might be associated with temporary total disability payments and/or other types of supplemental insurance products and services.

The present invention has been described in terms of several embodiments solely for the purpose of illustration. Persons skilled in the art will recognize from this description that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but may be practiced with modifications and alterations limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed:
 1. A system associated with an electronic wage statement file, comprising: an input device to receive wage statement information from an insured; a computer processor for executing program instructions; and a memory, coupled to the computer processor, for storing program instructions for execution by the computer processor for: receiving from a party associated with the insured an indication of a pay period frequency, receiving from the party associated with the insured an indication of an initial pay period begin date, automatically populating a series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date, receiving from the party associated with the insured wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields, automatically computing a gross wages amount for each of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the wage values, and generating the electronic wage statement file based on the received wage values.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wage values received from the insured include at least one of: (i) a number of regular hours worked, (ii) a number of overtime hours worked, (iii) an hourly rate, and (iv) other wages.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the memory further stores program instructions for execution by the computer processor for: automatically computing an average weekly wage amount for the electronic wage statement file.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the computation of the average weekly wage amount is performed in accordance with a workers' compensation rule engine.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the electronic wage statement file is associated with one of a plurality of potential jurisdictions and the workers' compensation rule engine computes the average weekly wage amount based on at least one of a minimum value and a maximum value applicable to that jurisdiction.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein a wage increase is automatically and retroactively applied to prior pay periods.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores program instructions for execution by the computer processor for: automatically performing an error check on the wage statement information received from the insured in accordance with a pre-determined error checking rule.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores program instructions for execution by the computer processor for: dynamically determining and displaying supplemental data based on wage statement information received from the insured.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the wage statement information received from the insured further includes at least one of: (i) an employee name, (ii) a claim number, (iii) a date of loss, (iv) a date of hire, (v) period of employment information, and (vi) date of completion information.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores program instructions for execution by the computer processor for: receiving a password from a claim handler, and validating the password.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores program instructions for execution by the computer processor for: subsequent to validating the password, receiving from the claim hander indications of exclusion for a sub-set of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields, and re-calculating an average weekly wage based on the indications of exclusion.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores program instructions for execution by the computer processor for: automatically generating a file note associated with the electronic wage statement file including information about a proposed benefit rate calculation.
 13. A computer-implemented method associated with an electronic wage statement file, comprising: receiving from an insured an indication of a pay period frequency; receiving from the insured an indication of an initial pay period begin date; automatically populating by a processor a series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date; receiving from the insured wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields; automatically computing by the processor a gross wages amount for each of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the wage values; automatically computing by the processor an average weekly wage amount for the electronic wage statement file; automatically generating by the processor the electronic wage statement file, including an indication of the average weekly wage amount, based on the received wage values; and storing the electronic wage statement file in a data storage device.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wage values received from the insured include all of: (i) a number of regular hours worked, (ii) a number of overtime hours worked, (iii) an hourly rate, and (iv) other wages.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: automatically performing an error check on the wage statement information received from the insured in accordance with a pre-determined error checking rule.
 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising: dynamically determining and displaying supplemental questions and associated answer input fields based on wage statement information received from the insured.
 17. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a password from a claim handler; validating the password; subsequent to validating the password, receiving from the claim hander indications of exclusion for a sub-set of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields; and re-calculating an average weekly wage based on the indications of exclusion.
 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: automatically generating a file note associated with the electronic wage statement file including information about a proposed benefit rate calculation.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a computer processor to perform a method associated with an electronic wage statement file, said method comprising: receiving from an insured an indication of a pay period frequency; receiving from the insured an indication of an initial pay period begin date; automatically populating a series of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the pay period frequency and initial pay period begin date; receiving from the insured wage values associated with a plurality of the pay period begin date and pay period end date fields; automatically computing a gross wages amount for each of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields based on the wage values; automatically computing an average weekly wage amount for the electronic wage statement file; and automatically generating the electronic wage statement file, including an indication of the average weekly wage amount, based on the received wage values.
 20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the wage values received from the insured include all of: (i) a number of regular hours worked, (ii) a number of overtime hours worked, (iii) an hourly rate, and (iv) other wages.
 21. The medium of claim 19, further comprising: automatically performing an error check on the wage statement information received from the insured in accordance with a pre-determined error checking rule.
 22. The medium of claim 19, further comprising: dynamically determining and displaying supplemental questions and associated answer input fields based on wage statement information received from the insured.
 23. The medium of claim 19, further comprising: receiving a password from a claim handler; validating the password; subsequent to validating the password, receiving from the claim hander indications of exclusion for a sub-set of the plurality of pay period begin date and pay period end date fields; and re-calculating an average weekly wage based on the indications of exclusion.
 24. The medium of claim 19, further comprising: automatically generating a file note associated with the electronic wage statement file including information about a proposed benefit rate calculation. 